Pantone 294

Pantone- a noun; a system for matching colors, used in specifying printing inks. The official paint color for the Los Angeles Dodgers is Pantone 294.

In 2009, Alex Soto, I diehard Dodgers fan, got 55 of his closest friends and family together for a Dodger road trip. They charted a bus from Los Angeles to San Francisco to cheer on the boys in blue. They all had tickets together in left field and created a fan experience like no other away game they had ever experienced. That first trip became an annual tradition that is now known as Pantone 294 to Dodger fans across the globe.

Every year stadium trips are planned through pantone294.com giving Dodger fans from across the globe an opportunity to unite at away games. Packages arrange from game day events with tickets to full hotel and local event packages with game events and tickets. With each ticket you receive a patch for that series. Their slogan is: “It’s more than a ticket, it’s an experience”.

My twin brother has talked about this experience for years and this past Saturday we finally got to be part of the Pantone294 experience! The Dodger fan stadium takeover of the Washington Nationals park was in full force. It started with the pregame tailgate party in an area known as the bullpen. It was all Dodger fans. The Dodger walk to the stadium known as the “traditional march” was a sea of pantone 294 cover fans chanting Let’s-Go-Dodgers! Roll call is one of the coolest traditions in baseball. The Yankee’s may have started this tradition in the 90’s but the Dodgers do it better, especially on the road!

The stadium reminded me a lot of what FedEx Field (the Washington Redskins stadium) looks like it’s a typical Sunday when the visiting team has more fans in the stadium. Those are all just individual football fans at a game while Pantone 294 is family of fans united as one group. When you have a storied franchise with the pedigree of the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing on the road brings out a lot of haters. When you are seating with your teams fans, you know they have your back.

I watched a cocky Nationals fan yell at our section “score board” when it was 0-2 Nationals in the second inning. The guy sitting in front of me was like is this guy serious and the girl in front of him said “has he seen us play?” The Dodgers went on to crush the Nats 9-3 in 90-degree heat.

How the sections full of Pantone 294 stayed full while being in the beating sun the entire game was amazing to me. (My twin and I also had tickets behind home-plate that came with free beer and air conditioning. We had to take breaks.)

Seeing all of the patches on fans jerseys was really cool. I’ve always wanted to be a stadium chaser and now knowing that I can earn a patch and experience away games surrounded by some of the coolest Dodgers fans in the world is amazing. Dodger fans travel thanks to Alex Soto and Desiree Garcia who make it all happen! Pantone 294 ranges from hundreds of fans to thousands of fans. Any Dodger fan is welcome to join the Pantone 294 experience, including children. Add it to your bucket list and keep wearing that Pantone 294.

For more information about Pantone 294 visit: www.pantone294.com